does anyone have recs for healthy food blogs that don’t list calories/fat content/etc? i want to eat food that makes me feel good without sacrificing my mental health.
Reblogging in case my followers know of any.
http://garden-of-vegan.tumblr.com/
As someone with no food or ED triggers who would nonetheless really like to have these links too, I’m going to be providing a quick “review” of each link for Sam or anyone else!
Issue: recipes seem to primarily if not exclusively call for fresh fruits and veggies, which can be cost-prohibitive. Otherwise seems pretty good, no calorie counting, nonjudgmental header.
http://no-more-ramen.tumblr.com/ Focus: food that is cheap, easy to make, produces few servings or freezes easily, and is more nutritious than ramen. Originally made with college kids in mind, but is great for anyone looking to eat on a budget. Pros: Good tag organization lets you find recipes that are allergen free (by allergy, such as gluten or nut), or by palate (vegetarian, etc), or by meal (lunch), or by type (pasta, soup), or… etc. By design, these recipes are affordable, and low-labor/skill, which is great both for novice cooks and anyone with low energy or say physical disability. Suggested ingredients are usually canned or frozen, which again is helpful for low incomes! Cons: “More nutritious than ramen” isn’t necessarily THAT high of a bar. If you’re looking to avoid refined sugar, for example, you’ll probably have to engage in some ingredient substitutions. Overall this is a very solid suggestion though in terms of shaming. There’s no calorie counting, no “inspirational” memes, just a bunch of ordinary people trying to help each other eat a little better. —- http://thefatfemale.tumblr.com/ Focus: a personal blog with a lot of food pictures and incidental info (like a cool post on converting measurements, and how to substitute ingredients) that also sometimes posts recipes. Cons: Inconsistent tagging (not all food mentions are tagged, just as an example, and there are a LOT of food photos), and I certainly wouldn’t say this is health food focused. Cheeseburgers, fries, onion rings, and bacon dot the front page. I mean, everything in moderation by all means, but if I was looking for recipes that trended “green” this wouldn’t be a top choice. Pros: No shaming language, no diet talk, recipes graded for yumminess and difficulty… With more organization I think this could be a solid offering but I can’t currently recommend it without that. :( Overall this is exactly what the user advertised it as: not all deep-fried. Which means some, even a significant amount, deep-fried. —- http://kinfood.tumblr.com/ Focus: recipes categorized by kin type. As an example of the intent, there’s an ask on the first page suggesting matcha as an ingredient to get close to the taste of grass. Pros: Tag system, while very basic and of course otherkin-focused, does still include categories like “vegan” and “drink”. Cons: Again, this isn’t healthfood focused. Nor is it entirely focused on recipes – since the user base is looking for specific flavors, sometimes there are just suggestions on where to buy foods, or general ingredient discussion. Plenty of the front page recipes look nutritious, in a whole-foods-full-fat-dairy way, but if you were going to use this I would suggest figuring out which kins provide the types of food you’re looking for. Judging by the first page, merkin for fish, faekin for “hearty”… It’s a bit impenetrable for people who don’t know this terminology, I think, and for someone feeling low on spoons I think the barrier to entry here might be too high. —- http://www.thenutritionguruandthechef.com/ Focus: Fitness, health, recipes. The blogger reviews and dissects various fad diets, and sometimes discusses social media in a more generalized way. Pros: Theoretically advises a well-balanced diet, written by a nutritionist with a degree, recipes are healthy and tasty-looking, no calorie counts on the recipes themselves. Cons: Medicalized obesity, which is a huge red flag. (At one point they say it’s “caused” by high fructose corn syrup. Apparently no one is naturally fat. Also while they argue we can’t know whether our ancestors in the Paleolithic era suffered from vitamin deficiencies, apparently that our ancestors are all slim is just… fact.) Also, this is a regular, non-tumblr blog, which reduces ease of use and makes the tags less helpful. (You can’t just blacklist the articles.) A long, detailed description of an eating disorder is simply tagged “healthy eating”, even though the article acknowledges repeatedly that this is “too extreme” and the woman being interviewed stopped having her period. Tags in general are weird: “easy asian” is apparently a type of recipe, as are “healthy sweets” and “naughty but nice sweets”. Also, heteronormative and sexist: “How to get your man to eat healthy” is an actual article. So: good recipes but I would skip everything else, and the non-tumblr nature makes it harder to filter. —- http://backonpointe.tumblr.com/ Focus: mental and physical health. There’s a LOT of non-recipe posts, tips on posture and exercise routines, lots of reblogged clickbait articles. Pros: I found some of the clickbait interesting (and hey job interview tips are always welcome for most people?), and the recipes look tasty. There’s a “healthy recipe” tag, which makes it easy to get straight to what you’re looking for. Also, seems pretty fat positive. Cons: The entire first page, save one, is desserts and comfort foods like mac and cheese. Delicious but not necessarily healthful. I mean again there’s a “healthy recipe” tag. Also, because these are links to recipes off site, you’re really rolling the dice every time you click as to what will be in the side bars, or whether the blog post being linked to is going to indulge in some shaming language the curator didn’t notice in their 20 paragraph ramble before the recipe. Overall, this is a cute blog, but maybe not exactly what you’re looking for. Also while she does tag food, she didn’t tag or cut the very long post of beautiful models in their underwear, which I think would be an issue for some folks who like a NSFW tag to block. On a personal note, Sam, they’ve got some of the type of self-care post that I think you’ve expressed very little patience for. But at least they’re tagged? —- http://healthy-chubby-bunny.tumblr.com/ Focus: health/fitness inspiration with recipes too Pros: Cute, healthy recipes. Cons: Nonexistent tagging system. A deluge of memes reminding you not to starve yourself and that you both need and deserve food may make the blogger feel better but other people feel worse. The same problem above, where the recipes are all reblogged and may come from someone who calorie counts or fat shames. And while it’s very focused on not beating yourself up if you haven’t met your presumed fitness goals “yet”, the implied weight loss / pants size shrinking is still there. —- http://foodffs.tumblr.com/ Focus: Recipes and nothing but the recipes. Also sometimes answers asks with gifs. Pros: It’s nice not to have to wade through so many articles or memes. Relevant tags: healthy, dairy free, gluten free, vegan, vegetarian. The tagging by ingredient is nice, even as minimal as it is. Lots of recipes, by the nature of the site (they strive to post one every hour). Cons: Tags are by no means extensive, AND this is another aggregate blog so the quirky of the linked posts is going to vary a lot. And again, the existence of a healthy tag means not all or even a majority of the recipes are heathy. Overall, it’s simple. Possibly too simple. —- http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/ Okay, this is literally just a dessert blog, but at least it wasn’t advertised as anything else. —- https://8b862ca0073972f0472b704e2c0c21d0480f50d3.googledrive.com/host/0Bxd6wdCBD_2tdUdtM0d4WTJmclU/good-and-cheap.pdf Focus: This PDF touts itself as being nutrition on $4 a day. To be blunt, this is bullshit, though I’ll give the authors the benefit of the doubt and assume they live somewhere with access to ANY amount of “fresh or frozen” blackberries for $1.50. It’s especially obnoxious considering the stated goal – this is supposed to be SNAP-compatible :( Pros: Healthy, no calorie counts. Cons: It’s a PDF. At least in mobile Chrome, it’s also not searchable, like an image. It’s frankly a bit hard to read on mobile at all, and if it really is a series of images then it’s also inaccessible for plenty of people. —- http://www.loveandlemons.com/ Focus: Recipes. Pros: Lots and lots and lots of salads. Plus some other things! Cons: Well, the author has been “trying to detox (a little)”. Also “super foods”, which are of dubious benefit and tend to have bad consequences for the regions we mine for them. Also, all those salads? Call for fresh veggies and fruit, which are cost-prohibitive. Finally, it’s another non-tumblr, so tags can’t be blacklisted. I’m also a little wary of the approach to health, the idea that even the thin and healthy desserts and pizzas she posts need to be apologized for or explained. If you’ve got the eggplant handy, these are tasty looking and creative light meals. —- BREAK! I’ll do more in my next reblog, but my summaries are getting shorter and my reading less intensive.
This is amazing and thorough, thank you so much!
Just breaking my tumblr hiatus to note that Chocolate Covered Katie is indeed a desserts blog, but is focused on making healthier desserts, with a focus on vegetarian/vegan options. Popular examples include using flaxseed instead of egg, using beans in brownies/blondies, and making a sweet icing-like dip using tofu. I've personally tried a handful of recipes and some turn out quite well. Others are a little *too* vegan (reminiscent of a certain Facebook friend of yours, samanticshift). She also does other, non-dessert recipes. There is some mention of recipes being "low in calories" here and there, but IIRC she will typically put calorie/nutrition information on a separate link.
